England's Ben Stokes can breathe easy

Ben Stokes celebrates with partner Clare after winning the World Cup on Sunday

Glorious uncertainties! Never has cricket been truer to the timeless, hoary and ancient expression than at Lord’s here on Sunday evening. Finally, the words have got the right images, intense action, dramatic denouements and emotional culmination that can justify that cricket is indeed a game of glorious uncertainties.

Uncertainties because the World Cup has thrown up new champions, and there are no losers. If anything, New Zealand were as good as England, if not better, in terms of runs scored and wickets taken. Either you are needed to have scored one extra run or a better percentage score on Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method or have a better net run rate (NRR).

But more boundaries? That was the playing condition – if not the law of the game -- and the difference was Ben Stokes, the man who embodies the uncertainties in life and cricket. He appeared to be controlling the uncertainties while the team was disintegrating at the other end at Lord’s on Sunday.

First Eoin Morgan, then Jos Buttler followed by Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett, Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid, who sacrificed his wicket to ensure Stokes was on strike. And then finally, Mark Wood too, who was run out even as Stokes stood like the Rock of Gibraltar.

About three years ago, this very Stokes had faced an uncertain future. He was smashed for four sixes off the first four balls of the 20th over in the World Twenty20 final in 2016. That World Cup was almost going to England before Carlos Brathwaite snatched it away from Stokes’ hands. About 18 months back, he was facing a prison sentence for a pub brawl.

Redemption, redemption and redemption… that was the theme across the English media the day after England’s win. The bookmakers have even given 2-to-1odds for Stokes to be declared BBC sportsman of the year.

Morgan called him a superman and said another cricketer and his career would have ended after the Brathwaite assault in Kolkata. “I have said this a number of times about Ben. I think a lot of careers would have been ended after what happened in Calcutta,” the England skipper said.

“To come through it is extraordinary. (Ben) is almost superhuman. He really carried the team and our batting line-up. I know Jos (Buttler) and his partnership was extraordinary, but to bat with the lower order the way he did, I thought was incredible. The atmosphere, the emotion that was going through the whole game, he managed to deal with that in an extremely experienced manner. And obviously everybody watching at home will hopefully try and be the next Stokes.”

Stokes scored an unbeaten 84 in the regulation 50 overs, another unbeaten 8 in the Super Over and his contribution to the England total of 26 boundaries was eight, including the one in the Super Over. New Zealand managed 17 boundaries, thus losing by nine boundaries. Factoring in the boundary count of Stokes, it is clear that England won not only because of the runs Stokes scored but also the way he scored.

“Ben on numerous occasions has stood up individually and in a unit for us. He leads the way in training, in any team meetings we have, and he’s an incredible cricketer. And he’s had a huge day out and obviously we are thankful for that,” Morgan said.

“I'm pretty lost for words," Stokes said after the game. “All the hard work that's gone in over these four years, this is where we aspired to be. To do it with such a game, I don't think there will be another like this in the history of cricket.”

The 28-year-old all-rounder also went on to say sorry to Kane Williamson for the overthrow off a ricochet in the final over which, in the ultimate analysis, was crucial to the result.

“Not the way I wanted to do it. In the last over when the ball hit the bat and went for four, I apologized to Kane for that,” Stokes said, showing signs of maturity in his persona which has now completed the circle from Kolkata to London – the journey of a chump to a champ.

I think a lot of careers would have ended after what happened in Calcutta. To come through it is extraordinary. Ben is almost superhuman